Zelensky, Trump Agree to Meet in New York as Ukraine Peace Push Gains Momentum

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on September 21 that he had agreed to meet US President Donald Trump in New York, describing the planned encounter as one that "could change a lot" for efforts to end the war with Russia.

The agreement followed a phone conversation between the two leaders focused on advancing the peace process and addressing key security concerns tied to the ongoing conflict. The meeting is expected to take place in New York during the UN General Assembly session this week, where Trump is scheduled to speak on the summit's opening day.

"There is diplomatic momentum"

"We agreed to meet in New York, and this meeting could change a lot. There is diplomatic momentum," Zelensky said, framing the peace process as Kyiv's "number one priority" even as fighting on the ground continues. He said the upcoming talks would touch on possible de-escalation steps and what he called fundamental security issues, including energy security, food security and the protection of human life.

Zelensky also thanked Trump for the recent visit to Kyiv by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, saying the pair had reviewed key details of the war and witnessed the situation in Ukraine directly. Their trip is widely seen as groundwork for the broader diplomatic push now taking shape around the New York meeting.

A war that keeps escalating even as diplomacy advances

The diplomatic overture comes against the backdrop of an intense and continuing exchange of long-range strikes between Moscow and Kyiv. Russia has kept up drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities, while Ukraine has expanded its own deep-strike campaign against Russian energy and military infrastructure. That grim parallel — active warfare alongside active diplomacy — has defined much of the conflict's fourth year, with both sides seemingly betting that battlefield pressure will strengthen their hand at the negotiating table.

Why the New York meeting matters

A face-to-face meeting between Trump and Zelensky, on the sidelines of the world's biggest annual diplomatic gathering, carries symbolic as well as practical weight. It signals that Washington sees an opening to push the peace process forward and gives Kyiv a high-profile venue to press its security demands in front of a global audience. Trump has repeatedly said he wants to see the war brought to a close, and the administration has been active behind the scenes — via the Witkoff-Kushner channel — in trying to shape the contours of a possible settlement.

For markets and governments watching the conflict, any sign of genuine progress toward de-escalation carries implications well beyond Ukraine and Russia, from energy prices to European security spending. But with active hostilities still ongoing and both sides continuing to strike deep into each other's territory, officials on both sides have been careful to frame the New York meeting as a step in a long process rather than a breakthrough in itself.

This is an original summary based on public reporting. See our editorial policy for how we source, write, and correct our stories.